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Bringing the combat sport of martial arts and discipline, an El Reno man has opened what he intends to be a hub of activity for local families. 

Jim Kutscher has opened El Reno Jiu Jitsu, 1301 S. Choctaw. 

Originally born and raised in East Chicago, Ind., Kutscher moved to Colorado in 2015. It was there he met his wife and raised his two children. When a job opportunity arose, Kutscher’s family moved to El Reno. 

What compelled Kutscher to start Jiu Jitsu was a motorcycle accident in 1998.

El Reno’s Municipal Swimming Pool has been a welcome relief lately when temperatures moved above 90 degrees.

Managed by Claire Ellison along with assistant manager Jayda Cook, the pool schedule will be 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday and from noon to 5 p.m. on holidays.

A lap swim for those 55 and up will be available from noon to 1 p.m. every day the pool is open.

A move to streamline Oklahoma Higher Education could be a boost for Redlands Community College and local students, but there’s plenty of homework to do before new offerings might be added at the two-year school. 

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education recently approved updates to the Academic Program Approval Policy that create a framework for the review and potential approval of accelerated bachelor’s degrees.

“Oklahoma’s economy is growing, and employers need job-ready graduates,” said Gov. Kevin Stitt.

El Reno Public Schools had a free Swim Day that included free books from the Wesley UMC Bookmobile.

WEATHERFORD – In towns where Republican politics have long shaped local identity, some younger rural Oklahomans say they are growing more skeptical of strict party loyalty and more interested in individual issues and independent thinking.  

Interviews with young voters and residents in Weatherford and Ringling show a more complicated picture than election maps suggest. Many still identify with conservative values, but some Southwestern State University students described campus political conversations as more open than people might expect.  

In one of Oklahoma’s most closely contested Republican gubernatorial primaries in recent memory, President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Mike Mazzei came less than three weeks before voters head to the polls on June 16.    

Before Friday’s endorsement, Mazzei, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former House Speaker Charles McCall and businessman Chip Keating were in a competitive race for the Republican nomination, with each candidate working to appeal to many of the same conservative voters.  

Rose State College, Redlands Community College and Seminole State College have entered into a collaborative agreement designed to enhance library services, strengthen access to educational resources and support student success across all three colleges.

Through the partnership, the colleges will share a Librarian of Record and coordinate library services to support accreditation requirements, improve access to research resources and expand instructional support for students and faculty.

Redlands Community College recently announced students named to the college’s honor rolls for the spring 2026 semester. Students listed on the President’s Honor Roll have completed 12 or more credit hours and have earned a GPA of not less than 3.8, with no grade less than a B – excluding 0-level courses.

Those listed on the Vice President’s Honor Roll have completed 12 or more hours of coursework and have earned a GPA of 3.5 to 3.79, with no grade less than a C – excluding 0-level courses.

Craig McVay, an El Reno Democrat running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, has received the endorsement of Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Gov. Reggie Wassana.

McVay said he and Wassana met earlier this year to discuss the education issues facing Cheyenne and Arapaho students across Oklahoma.

At that meeting, Wassana endorsed McVay’s candidacy for Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Wassana and McVay have worked together as partners for many years.

For Zachary Bomar, co-owner of Lost Brothers Cannabis Co., the promise of Oklahoma’s cannabis boom was straightforward: opportunity.

After 15 years in the oil field, Bomar entered the industry in 2020 following layoffs, investing his savings alongside his three brothers in what he described as “the next oil boom.”

The brothers entered the industry as cannabis cultivation spread rapidly across Oklahoma.

At first, the expectation seemed justified.

“The vision was make some good money,” he said, noting that early on, “that’s what it seemed like everybody was doing.”